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The Science of Adventure

Here‘s an interesting article on the pyschology of risk taking and evolution from the excellent Outside magazine.

Doing reckless, stupid things is as much a part of our gene pool as red hair and a taste for peanut M&M’s.

As our species evolved, communities with risk takers might have done better at things like warding off attackers,” says Thomas Crowley, a psychologist at the University of Colorado Denver. “Risk taking was important for the species and the individual.

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3 thoughts on “The Science of Adventure”

Fearghal – It looks like nobody is willing to risk making any comments here:)!
!. Isn’t it pretty likely that all communities contain risk takers?
2. In the event of an attack on a community, the risk of death or injury would surely involve more than just the communities risk takers, in fact a risk taker might just decide to chance and see if the attackers left them alone.
3. The modern need and love for adventure, buzz, excitement is more likely due to the lack of risk, excitement, and adventure in developed societies.

Paul, thanks for jumping in I hoped for more feedback but c’est la vie.

I agree, there are risk takers in every population, I think it just depends on the environment what form that risk takes. Gambling, hooliganism, hunting lions, or bungee jumping- take your pick.

I’m not sure I buy the genetic superiority of risky strategies when it comes to evolution, and seem to remember reading something by Richard Dawkins (can’t remember where) that suggested that beta males were geneticaly more successful.

I defintely agree that the need for contrived buzz, excitement, and adventure is due to the lack of those feelings in the everday in developed societies, I doubt Afghanistan, or the Congo have thriving extreme sports scenes. The fact is, living in the west is relatively risk free.

All that considered though its important to remember that at the end of the day Chicks will always dig scars ; )